NIDDK?s Short Term Research Experience for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP) Program is a summer research internship developed to provide hands-on research experience to individuals underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. NIDDK is working with Ripple Effect Communications to develop a comprehensive and coordinated retrospective and forward-looking analysis of the STEP-UP program, encompassing past participants and coordinating centers that participated in the program during the years 2002 to 2016; in addition to developing an evaluation framework for monitoring and analysis of the program as it moves forward.